Need yet another example of how wonderfully effective the UN is?
The UN announced on Monday that it is hoping for three "days of tranquility" in Darfur. January 10-12 are the scheduled "days of tranquility."
Why, you ask, are they asking for these "days of tranquility" now? Particularly after all they haven't been able to achieve in Darfur? The least of which is a lasting cease-fire.
Well, the answer would be that they would like these "days of tranquility" to immunize children for polio, which appears to be making some progress in the refugee camps on working its way back from oblivion.
{...}"What I am asking is during the (vaccination) campaign ... to have days of tranquility and that means no action whatsoever," Jan Pronk, the U.N. special envoy to Sudan, told reporters. "That means that all forces should stay in the camps, in their barracks."{...}Pronk said he would discuss the issue with the government and southern rebel movements, as well as with the Darfur rebel groups such as the main groups, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
{...}The WHO said that polio was on the rise in Sudan and an epidemic was feared, with one official saying the number of cases has risen to 105 since the disease re-emerged in mid-2004.
Guido Sabatinelli, WHO representative in Sudan, said that ideally any fighting would halt for two days before the vaccination campaign began and continue two days after, but said the key was to ensure there were no incidents during the 3 days.
He said the campaign would administer oral vaccinations to children under five with household-to-household visits. He said three days would be enough to reach children under five.
So, let me see if I've got this straight: the UN has no hesitations about asking for "three days of tranquility" to vaccinate refugee children for polio, but somehow they cannot be bothered to stop these parties from killing the children and their families in the first place?
Explain that one to me, would ya?
See Also: The Butchers
disclaimer after the jump
Just for the record in case my animosity toward the UN led you to believe the wrong thing: I want these children to have their vaccinations. My mother had polio as a child. Even today, at age seventy-two, she believes she is still suffering aftereffects from this childhood illness. She ain't whistling dixie, either. They're just learning about post-polio syndrome because most children died from polio so they weren't able to study the after-effects. I wouldn't wish a case of polio on my worst enemy. Mom was one of the lucky survivors in that she wasn't crippled. Most people weren't so lucky and now that it's known this disease could affect these children much later in their lives, well, it's that much more important to vaccinate. Please don't send me an email telling me that I'm being cruel. I'm not.
I just think it's fucking ridiculous that the UN finds itself in the position of asking for "three days of tranquility" to accomplish this task, when if they hadn't sat on their hands for months on end, this wouldn't be a problem.
Posted by Kathy at January 5, 2005 01:33 PM